how long before diesel goes bad

[harley joe]

anybody know how long diesel will last, without additives. I know truck stop fuel will probally be the freshest. Is there a real advantage to that?

 

[marksmith]

Well I don't know for sure how long it takes for diesel to go bad but from what I understand the thing that goes bad is when it sits "still" the moisture separates out and you get gunk (algae, etc) that grows in the water. Therefor if you have someplace that uses a lot of diesel the diesel has less chance of settling out and growing gunk because it is constantly being replenished with fresh diesel and "stirring the pot" if you will.



This doesn't mean that your local country market will have bad diesel and the truckstop will have good diesel. It just says that your chances are better getting good fuel from a truck stop or place that sells a lot of diesel.



"Clear as Mud"???

Hope this helps

Mark

 

[rblomquist]

Good question, I think a lot of it depends on the storage container. I used to order targets for a bombing range and we got all sorts of surplus vehicles out of depots that were full of fluids when they arrived (including diesel).



To make a long story short some of these had set for years but we always re-used (pumped out) the diesel and used it in our heavy equipment with no problems. The only thing I can think of it that since the fuel was stored in metal fuel tanks and that the tanks were full it helped to keep the sea monkeys away.



I know gas will lose octane in through plastic in short order. I wonder about Diesel losing Cetane through plastic containers?



Would I run that fuel in my CTD though... ... ... ... nope

 

[Skydiver]

O2

I once cranked a mid 50's ford tractor that had been sitting up for about 5 years. Yes I did give it 1 shot of ether but I don't think it needed it.

A good question to this thread for the petrol guys would be what effect does oxygen(or nitrogen) have on stored fuel.

I may be wrong but I think if the diesel fuel is stored in a sealed container it will last many years.

Another question, does the algae that grows in diesel need oxygen?

Let me know.

Tim

 

[illflem]

Depending on the container it's stored in it will last a looong time. I gave a 300 gallon farm tank to my friend that had about 100 gallons sitting it for 15 years. I recommended he dump it, he didn't, said he had no problems rumming his tractors with it but dumped the bottom few gallons because it was sludgey. The tank did have a filter with water trap though. Diesel stored in galvanized containers goes bad sooner.



I remember reading about some guys doing a salvage job on a WWll ship in the '90s. The ship's tanks had several thousand gallons of diesel that they ended up using in their trucks and equipment.



Diesel algae is actually bacteria, they need oxygen but not directly from the air. Read a good article here http://boatdiesel.com/Articles/index.cfm?SD=20010922

To flip pages go to the box that says Overview.

 

[dpetre]

What you guys are dealing with is bacteria that is eating the fuel. The bacteria needs water, fuel, and oxygen inorder to survive. Your fuel tanks acts like a septic tank for these bacteria. The main problem they cause is plugging fuel filters and injectors.

 

[Champane Flight]

Quality

There are too many factors invovled to give a set answer to age and biological breakdown of fuel. Many large fuel storage terminals in the USA add certain chemicals to there storage preventing this breakdown. I have seen fuel stored for ten years still test good, and I have seen fuel stored for less than two, full of crap and off spec. Condensation is a big factor in the breakdown of fuel, If there is room for condensation in a tank it will form. Metal containers and plastic make very little difference, how full they are do. Keep your tank on the full side and put a little additive in from time to time.

 

[The patriot]

Re: Quality

Originally posted by Champane Flight

Condensation is a big factor in the breakdown of fuel

YES!

I have a 550 in the back yard. When I'm at the bottom of the tank, it's about a year old.

I use conditioner in it, however change in the temperature and humidity will still form condensation. Hell, I even see some on the inside my fuel cap when the tank is low.

Eric

 

[tfrane]

I talked to Sta-bil (the additive for storage) people before Y2K and they said gas is good 18 months in a steel tank, and didn't indicate there was a problem with diesel.